Journal of Public Management Research ISSN 2377-3294 2020, Vol. 6, No. 2 Learning from The Mahabharata For an Anew Contemporary Political Understanding K C Mishra Principal, Sambhram Academy of Management Studies M S Palya, Jalahalli East, Bangalore, India E-mail: [email protected] Received: September 9, 2020 Accepted: October 13, 2020 Published: October 14, 2020 doi:10.5296/jpmr.v6i2.17823 URL: https://doi.org/10.5296/jpmr.v6i2.17823 The Indian Spiritual Epic, the Mahabharata, is a precise write up of Indian mythology of yesteryears and the way social life was led by the top Statesmen who were at the helm of all societal affairs. The Indian Holy Scripture, the Bhagavad Gita, the socio-philosophical- literature of the Indian Socio-Cultural Milieu, also find special place within the Mahabharata in the format ‘Special Dialogue’, otherwise can be quoted as Spiritual Discourse. This literary work originally composed in Sanskrit, the Mother of all Indian Languages, sometime between 400 BC and 400 AD is set in a legendary era thought to relate to the period of Indian culture and history approximately during the tenth century BC. For Indians, politics is something they are especially interested which remains untouched without knowing The Mahabharata. In the Indian politicized society, people understand their democratic rights and at the time of elections passions and emotions run very high and people talk of their elected representatives who have to represent them in the State Assembly and Indian Parliament to manage the whole gamut of societal issues and administration. They don’t forget to quote anecdotes from The Mahabharata which is the inevitability; the uniqueness is how the Indian psyche relates to it. They make no distinction between caste and creed; it breathes in the masses of India with a combination of philosophy of life, tradition and heritage; even the uneducated and illiterate ones shared these realizations in the rudimentary form as it appears. The Mahabharata is about retaining the political rein, enjoying the social strata, preservation and patronage of local cultures and transforming humanity through experience; such themes never get outdated. Having unique strategies, it focuses on political and military supremacy and the Master Strategist and the Torch Bearer of Righteousness Lord Krishna justifies use of strategies in National Interest and war inevitability at times of decaying State of Truth or when people forget to cling to truth. Some of the strategic features about Mahabharata which even today can teach the World Leaders are: 23 http://jpmr.macrothink.org Journal of Public Management Research ISSN 2377-3294 2020, Vol. 6, No. 2 Karna was kind, humble and generous which is not enough for the State Administration today An evil companion (Shakuni) can mar anything and everything beyond reparability Unstinted support of Friends like Lord Krishna can work wonders If one does not get his due genuinely; one has to fight to acquire The over-emotional State is the appropriate idea Those who resort to learning all their lives like Arjun; do attain the point of zenith Half knowledge of anything can prove fatal than no knowledge (Abhimanyu) No one can deter anyone’s aspirations (Eklavya) The noteworthy worldly lesson from The Mahabharata is Worth of Strategy, Right and Just In Time and the Approach to Life Lord Krishna is remembered both for righteousness and deviating from righteousness Unity of Command among Five Pandavs ensures victory at last The Mahabharata reminds that today’s politicians forget their moral duty and how they dissociate themselves from the social reality and the common mass; it is the experience of those times when people really awaited for a true savior; it is also the pitiable saga of a blind King’s savage-impure faith in his power-lust, incompetent, immoral, unfaithful, uncivilized and incorrigible son Duryodhana. With changing scenario, different political groups and personalities start resembling different situations, camps and characters of The Mahabharata. Anytime there are unholy congresses of courtiers, Kauravas are remembered and incase there seems to be a right person in the wrong camp, Bheeshma, Drona, Kripacharya or Karna comes to the centre-stage. The Mahabharata shows great focus on imagination beyond the possibility and opens up new vistas of thought and attracts electro-magnetic moments of truth for which it even remains supreme than all other contemporaries today. We have to accept with humility the astounding wisdom of Maharshi Vyas and it’s not true to forget high moral of the ancient and acclaim in the power of his imagination which could grasp the innermost aspirations of humankind. Today’s politicians and the common alike assimilate with this because it portrays their own thought processes, actions and the realities. Aspirations of the human being, the insatiate intensity for mundane desires, and also the desire to dominate others, all the good and the bad of human nature: this marvel of literature tells it all and presents in a classic way; the Eternity Moves and The Mahabharata never stops enlightening all of us about our Inner Self. Lessons from the Pandavas When the enemy is in-genuine and resorts to all kinds of wrongs, we have to change tactics to win; when it was crystal clear that the Kauravas and Pandavas were to have the decisive war, both Arjun and Duryodhana met Lord Krishna seeking his all powerful support. Krishna was in the state of sleep when the duo arrived; they then decided to wait till he awakened. The proud Duryodhana sat near Krishna's head; with love and in adoration Arjun sat at the feet of Krishna. When Krishna saw Arjun after awakening and then Duryodhana, he declared that he will not lift any weapon, nor even participate in the war and gave options to his both cousins 24 http://jpmr.macrothink.org Journal of Public Management Research ISSN 2377-3294 2020, Vol. 6, No. 2 to choose either he or his ever powerful the Narayani Sena. Arjun was clever to choose Krishna knowing very well that the latter was not going to fight in person. Next, Duryodhan was very happy to have the mighty force which proved to be unbecoming because he afterwards learnt; a battle is not only clash of weapons or fight among the warriors but a clash between strategists of wits and wisdom, of time and choices. Born of two mothers (Yudhishthir, Bheem and Arjun to Kunti and Nakul and Sahadeva to Madri); Pandu's five heirs, the Pandavas have different skills, viewpoints, and their own strengths and weaknesses; yet they all reposed their faith to accept the final decision of the eldest Pandava Yudhishthira. Their unity was their main power; whatever may be the dispute they stayed in unison even long after winning the war and right till their deaths; this proved that collective strength is better than acting independently. This applies to re the real-life situations and challenges even today for the World Statesmen; a good and functional team of a Nation focuses on the objectives of the Government, resolves conflicts, respects each member's views and does the best in the direction of Right Governance. Even World Peace can be ensured if Statesmen of Countries develop holy relationship among themselves. Pandavas showed expertise in team-building thus achieve their mission. Sometimes, one has to taste defeat to some extent to win the bigger war: Abhimanyu was a great warrior ever the human race had had but he misread Kauravas' master-strategy-plan and got himself enveloped into the Chakravyuha which was a very delicate setting which at first disallows the warrior to get into the inner circles but once he does breach it, he must have the exact knowledge to find his way out of the trap. He did the impossible to breach it to enter but the history is that his mother Subhadra was asleep when she was pregnant having Abhimanyu in her womb and husband Arjun was narrating the Chakravyuha breaching coupled with escape science. She was conscious till the entry part was narrated but fell asleep when the escape part was being told; therefore, Abhimanyu never knew how to escape from the Chakravyuha. Even a warrior of the stature of Abhimanyu had to fall prey to the enemy because he had only half plan and lacked the knowledge in entirety about what the enemy could do. Life poses tough challenges and many a times bleeds us emotionally; Arjun had to accept killing family patriarch Bhishma Pitamaha and Guru Dronacharya who had sided with the wrong force. They both loved the Pandavas but because Dhritarashtra was still the King of Hastinapur, their loyalty first remained with the Kauravas - the 100 sons of Dhritrashtra and Gandhari. Bhishma was from the enemy force, Arjun had to weed him out to advance in the war. And so must the Pandavas kill Guru Dronacharya, Arjun was in total emotion completely shocked and defeated in the mind for he did not want to kill these near and dear. Lord Krishna, his charioteer, taught him lessons about the realities of life; that we have to do our duty or karma assigned to us; the fruit, the outcome is not our choice, duty or responsibility. Then Arjun had to emotionally get away himself from his kith and kin that awaited him at war. No Point in Occupying the High Moral Ground if One Lose in the Process 25 http://jpmr.macrothink.org Journal of Public Management Research ISSN 2377-3294 2020, Vol. 6, No. 2 Contemporary politics is often halfway through without the high moral ground, no matter the cost and this mode of thinking led to a disastrous war to India against China in 1962.